Kilimanjaro Leadership Project 2011

From 20 till 29 September 2011, using the mountain as a classroom and as a metaphor for business, 15 women experienced leadership in ever-changing environments while climbing Kilimanjaro in the MBA elective course at RSM, RSM MBA Kilimanjaro Leadership Project. These women needed to work together and lead each other through difficult terrain to push past physical and mental barriers in their trek to the 5,895 meter summit. They were led by Rebecca Stephens, the first British woman to climb Everest, and the highest mountain on every continent.

In grateful acknowledgment of our Sponsors and Research Partners:

RSM Annual Fund | RSM MBA Women in Management Club | Dr. Mike Page

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Having spent several weekends hiking now, I believe myself to have built up an understanding of this pastime and the essentials to bring along: food and water, a map, and some sun tan lotion. Basic stuff really. Getting in touch with nature does not require much. Is nature not all about “the simple life”? That was before I visited The Outdoor Shop. The feeling this is an uncomplicated and unpretentious activity evaporates soon after you have crossed the threshold of the indoor heaven to the outdoor. The sheer size of the shop and the amount of stuff inside is overwhelming to the unsuspecting novice. Why is this shop so huge?…

Now we are back to the plains of the Netherlands, everybody keeps asking “How was it?” The answer to this question is difficult. No doubt, the whole experience was absolutely great! But there is this one night that really makes you doubt why on earth you are doing this! This is the night when you climb to the summit. We started walking at twelve o’clock at night. Pitch black. Only the stars above us and our headlamps were shining. We were told that we have to walk at night, because we have to reach the summit early in the morning…

Within 48 hours after standing on Uhuru peak at 5,895m I suddenly was home again sitting on my soft and comfortable couch with Tim. Wow! The trip down went so incredibly fast, that it seemed unreal. At 9.30am on Tuesday 27 September we were enjoying the views from the summit, after having climbed up during the night. Karen, Jantine, Helen, Rebecca and our five guides: Chuwa, Edson, John John, Hamza and Malissa. Around 13.00 we were back at base camp at 4,700m after ‘skiing’ down the lava sand slopes of the volcano, taking a short break to have lunch and…

It took me a while to be able to write again about the Kilimanjaro project. I was waiting since April for the trip. I had to call off the trip one day before my flight after realizing that my injuries made me unfit for the climb. It was certainly one of the toughest decisions of my life to date. I was devastated and literally broken in thousands of pieces… I was fighting an injury on my knee and Achilles for about a month. It seemed clear that the risk of climbing 6000m in such conditions would be insane, but my…

What I learned on the mountain Learning is a process that takes time and needs reflection. So, the whole learning process started months ago when we were invited to be part of this wonderful Kilimanjaro Leadership Project. Having in mind the idea of “Women empowering Women” we started our new journey full of great discoveries and changes. When the group of women that would climb the mountain first met I was really impressed by their positivity, energy and willingness to overcome personal constraints and these attributes were strongly confirmed during our endeavor to conquer the mountain. While I was at…

Here I am, sitting at my office trying to run against the clock while checking off as much as possible on my to do list. It all still feels very surreal where I was few weeks ago and what I was doing. Finally I no longer fall asleep on the couch around 8 pm. Now I am more clearly collecting my memories from Kili. Reading the blogs, seeing the faces and pictures give me back the same energy we had on the mountain. I did not climb Kilimanjaro to change my life. I climbed it to make a statement to…

Yesterday RSMers had annual career event in Dutch Water Dream and some of us experienced rafting in the artificial river (of course here in Holland below the sea level) as part of the program. Olympic-level white-water course was stiff enough to be scared and temperature was cold. There were some Kilimanjaro climbers including me and we smiled each other saying, “It feels me a piece of cake.” After climbing Kilimanjaro, our attitude against challenge has been totally changed. I would like to share my experiences that became a turning point of my life personally and professionally. Be aware that I…

The view from the summit was beautiful, absolutely stunning, and my team was cheerful! I saw the glacier up close. I was taking deep breaths of the wonderfully fresh air into my lungs. I closed my eyes to feel the glacier. I opened my arms and tried to touch the mountain air! I felt I was breathing in the broad expanse of the nature in front of me. The world seemed stopped for some time! But I did not stay long on the summit. During the interview down the gate, many thanks said by me..I could barely express my thankfulness…

Is this the same person who, with only one bottle of water available, could not complete an hour’s climb one day, but who could manage an eight hour summit climb the next day? I can hardly believe even now that was me. Lesson learnt: Believe in your own strength, take calculated risk, and you will be surprised by how much you can achieve! We drank our last cup of hot tea before we set off for the summit. I was a bit anxious, but I was very much certain that I would be able to make it to the summit….

During the interview by Mike Page, one of the sponsors of the Kilimanjaro MBA Leadership Project, just before the setting of our Kilimanjaro Leadership in Tanzania, I told him that empowering women is not for fighting against men but wisely living in society in harmony with men, but at the same time pushing boundaries for more space for women. Our group comprised women from very different backgrounds, including the lead from Rebecca Stephens, the first British woman who climbed the seven summits. I was one of two Chinese. I grew up during my childhood in a mountain environment but it was…